Purpose: The purpose of this NGO is to identify and fund districts willing to participate in a second cohort of pilot districts that will implement the proposed teacher evaluation system during the 2012-2013 school year. The proposed teacher evaluation system builds on the lessons learned in the first year of the pilot, as well as national research and best practices. Cohort 2 pilot participants will help us continue to refine our plans for a strong statewide system. Participants in this pilot initiative will benefit from state support, will actively engage with district educators and stakeholders in shaping evaluation development and implementation, and will help improve the system before it is implemented statewide with consequences. Funds will be made available through a competitive grant process and will be awarded by the NJDOE to support proposals submitted by eligible LEAs that agree to the terms and conditions of participation in the EE4NJ Teacher Effectiveness Evaluation Pilot Program. The grant period will cover a period of 14.5 months, from July 15, 2012 through September 30, 2013, in order to allow sufficient time for collecting and reviewing data from the 2012-13 pilot school year.

Eligible Agencies: LEAs that are Title I LEAs with 100 percent of their schools receiving Title I funds and having schoolwide status, as approved by the NJDOE, and who have not received funding under EE4NJ Cohort 1 or the School Improvement Grant program. See Appendix B of the NGO document.